Causa Justa :: Just Cause Seeks Executive Director

Causa Justa :: Just Cause Seeks Executive Director

Causa Justa :: Just Cause

Executive Director

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Overview

CJJC seeks an inspiring yet humble strategist and systems thinker with deep movement and organizational development experience.  Our next leader will have strong roots and relationships in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will confidently cultivate and build relationships with supporters, donors, funders, and allies necessary to sustain and grow CJJC, and will understand the importance of building movements not just organizations. CJJC’s new leader will be adept at managing organizational change and transitions, possess strong conflict management skills, and have a track record of building unity and cohesion amongst new teams.  The ideal candidate will be a collaborative and thoughtful  leader with a deep understanding of the pervasive impacts  of racial capitalism, a demonstrated commitment to racial equity and the fight for freedom, justice, and dignity for all people, and bring a talent for communicating bold and visionary ideas that ground CJJC’s staff and membership while driving successful campaigns to challenge the status quo.  

Who We Are

Causa Justa :: Just Cause [CJJC] builds grassroots power and leadership to create strong, equitable communities. Founded by Left organizers and born from a visionary merger eleven years ago between a Black organization and a Latinx immigrant organization, we build bridges of solidarity between working-class communities of color in service of our core belief that Black-Brown unity is foundational for the development of a vibrant multi-racial, multi-generational grassroots movement.  Before the pandemic, Black and Latinx families in our base were already more likely to be evicted, uninsured, or locked up. COVID-19 has shown that these inequities mean life or death for our community members. As state-sponsored violence continues to take the lives of Black and Brown people and the social and economic factors of the public health crisis intensifies, CJJC brings together our core strategies of rights-based services, base building, and organizing with civic engagement and grassroots policy change to organize residents and tenants to cancel debt and defund the police on both sides of the Bay.

The Opportunity

CJJC’s new ED will inherit a financially secure and stable organization with a regional imprint that serves as a national model for building Black/Brown unity, has a history of running local campaigns that challenge the status quo, and a reputation as a critical political project in the broader struggle for social transformation.  The ED will have the opportunity to work with and support the emerging leadership and vision of a new cadre of Black and Brown organizers and Directors who are committed to and invested in base building and membership development work, passionate about building interracial intergenerational movement and organization, and whose vision is rooted in Black liberation. CJJC has strong electoral, policy, and housing rights partners which will create avenues for learning and deep alliances.  The organization’s program focus and leadership team are well-situated to capture interest and funding from philanthropy wanting to center Black leaders, base building, and campaigns.  Our next ED will focus on identifying and building relationships with new funders, strengthening CJJC’s team, and positioning the organization to lead given emerging political opportunities and needs.

Characteristics We Seek

While we understand that no candidate may embody every skill or quality, the successful candidate will demonstrate many of the qualifications and attributes listed in the sections

below.

Required Experience 

  • 5-10+ years experience in executive leadership position with proven ability to build powerful organizations, foster participatory work environments, create political vision and strategy, and run campaigns that change the status quo
  • Demonstrated ability to lead an organization in navigating conflict and transition
  • Clear strengths in unifying staff around political purpose and goals
  • Facilitated and bottom-lined complex decision-making processes 
  • Understands the role of organizing, base building, and member development in building powerful organizations and ideally has personally engaged in these strategies
  • Deep experience managing staff and committed to building the leadership and capacity of the team
  • Acumen and enthusiasm for fundraising and financial management that is evidenced by prior development experience or transferable skills 
  • Confidence and experience in serving as an organizational ambassador and public face
  • Grounding in housing rights and immigrant rights organizing and policy work

Executive Leadership Skills and Attributes

  • Personal experience with and relationships to the Bay Area and rooted in the conditions of CJJC’s Black and Latinx membership base
  • Committed to language justice.  Bilingual (Spanish/English) a plus
  • Excited to work in a predominantly queer, gender fluid environment
  • A big-picture systems thinker able to solicit and synthesize information across organizational structure in order to build a collective vision and plan
  • Bold, direct, and outspoken communication style.  Welcomes hard conversations and navigates them with integrity
  • Holds space for experimentation, evaluation, and learning.  Personally willing to learn and also push sharp assessments
  • Creates space for others to hold and embody leadership
  • Centers purpose amidst challenges and change
  • Possesses a solid political analysis and is able to bridge multi-racial, multi-generational political differences while building political unity and trust with the staff
  • A high level of emotional intelligence and compassion – a human being who makes mistakes and learns from them
  • Sets boundaries (personal, professional, organizational)
  • Has a good sense of humor and is joyful in the work

Compensation and Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience, with an expected annual salary range between $85,000 and $100,000. CJJC offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan, health reimbursement plan, and generous paid time off, including a paid 3-month sabbatical after five years.This is a regular full-time exempt salaried position.  

CJJC’s staff is currently working remotely during the COVID crisis but has offices in Oakland and San Francisco.  This position is based in the Bay Area.

Application Process

To apply, please submit electronically via CJJC’s bambooHR system.

Please include a resume, three references, and a cover letter that addresses:  1) Why are you interested in working with CJJC? 2) What do you believe you would bring to the position of Executive Director? 3) How are your past accomplishments relevant to this position?  

CJJC is a family-friendly employer and an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, LGBTQ people are encouraged to apply.